


Supermarket: Bonus

by situationnormal



Series: Supermarket AU [2]
Category: K-pop, Shinhwa
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-23
Updated: 2014-11-23
Packaged: 2018-02-26 18:09:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,440
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2661500
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/situationnormal/pseuds/situationnormal
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>AU Ricsyung. Eric notices a guy at the grocery store and can't keep his eyes off of him. (Pre-Supermarket AU from Eric's perspective.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Supermarket: Bonus

**Author's Note:**

> An anon on tumblr asked me to write " a chapter in Eric's POV about the day he first noticed Hyesung". This is my attempt at filling that request--only I don't think I managed to do that very well. Probably would've worked out better if I could bring myself to write in first person ^^;;; Anyway, I hope it's OK, anon.

Eric had been on his own for several years, so he occasionally went grocery shopping. Occasionally, because most of the time he was too tired or too lazy to feel like cooking anything. And, when one of your best friends owns a restaurant, what’s really the point in cooking when you’re tired or lazy?  
  
It was on one of those occasions when he saw him—a man so handsome, so lovely, so attractive, that Eric could do nothing but stand and stare as he walked by. When they met eyes—Eric was staring a hole through the poor guy, after all—the man just walked more quickly, looking at his feet.  
  
Eric didn’t know what he was doing, but he followed the man down the next aisle. He picked up a bottle of sesame oil, and Eric grabbed a bottle, too, a few seconds later. When the handsome man walked down the next aisle, Eric held back a bit, trying to contain his excitement before following.  
  
‘Don’t make him think you’re a stalker, Eric. Calm down. It’s OK. It’s normal to coincidentally go down every single aisle that someone else does in a grocery store,’ he coached himself, staring at the same display for a while as he counted down the seconds until it was safe to follow. He almost jumped out of his skin when the man returned, apparently having forgotten an item, and walking past Eric quickly again.  
  
Eric watched him out of the corner of his eye, playing with a couple of bottles of oil as if he wasn’t sure what brand to buy. Not that it mattered. Who the hell cared about sesame oil at a time like that? The guy apparently decided against the brand he was looking at, too, because he put it back and selected another—standing just a couple of feet from Eric. After a bit, Eric realized he probably seemed like the most indecisive man on the planet—he’d been holding the same two bottles of oil for several minutes—so he put one back, not caring which one he’d actually chosen, and walked past the guy again.  
  
The guy didn’t follow him down the aisle, but when Eric turned down the next one, he was already standing there—looking at a display with a cute little frown on his face. His forehead was even wrinkled in concentration, and Eric didn’t know whether to pass out or scream, so he compromised by tripping over his own feet as he walked by—almost stumbling into some shelves. The guy turned further away from him, still looking at the display, and Eric had no choice but to keep going.  
  
It was only after that, in a state of complete embarrassment, that Eric realized he was running late for his evening class. He didn’t even have the chance to walk by the guy again when he saw the time. He barely had time to check out the groceries he’d managed to pick up while pretending to shop.  
  
‘You’re stupid, Eric Mun. Really, really stupid. How about he never goes to this store again? You should have spoken to him. You should have gotten his number. You maybe shouldn’t have followed him around like a weirdo,’ Eric cursed himself, half-running to his apartment with an armload of groceries he hadn’t actually intended to buy when he left the house that afternoon. Really, he meant to get something microwaveable to eat before class, but food was forgotten after seeing a human so beautiful. Who could eat after an experience like that?  
  


* * *

  
The next day, Eric went shopping again. His fridge was better stocked than it had been in weeks, but he went, anyway. He knew that most normal people didn’t shop two days in a row—especially since the guy seemed to be buying staples, like sesame oil, but he told himself he lived close enough to drop by. What could it hurt?  
  
He nearly died of shock when he walked down the snack food aisle, already feeling glum and beating himself up because he hadn’t managed to talk to the guy the day before, to see the man standing there, staring blankly at some crackers like they were trying to explain a difficult equation to him and he wasn’t quite understanding. Eric fought the urge to laugh out loud out of sheer joy, and walked by, grabbing a package of the crackers the guy seemed so interested in—hell, if he liked them, Eric could learn to.

  


* * *

On the third day, Eric couldn’t keep the guy to himself anymore. He looked so lovely, trying to decide which cut of meat he wanted, that Eric left the store empty-handed and giddy. Once again, he had been too nervous to introduce himself or ask for the guy’s number, but the thrill of seeing him again made it seem a little less pathetic.  
  
“Mom,” he said, as soon as he’d walked out of the door. “Do you believe in love at first sight?”  
  
“Eric, is everything OK?” his mom asked, groggily. He had forgotten it was very late, in her time zone.  
  
“Oh, wow. I’m sorry, mom. Call me back when you wake up,” he said, disappointed. He shifted the grocery bags from one hand to the other.  
  
“No, no. I can go back to sleep after we talk. Why are you asking about love at first sight?” she asked.  
  
“Because there’s this guy who shops at the same grocery store as me. I know that sounds crazy, but have you ever seen anyone look cute and handsome and beautiful and perfect when they were just trying to decide which meat to buy? Or, have you ever been jealous of some crackers because someone looked at them too long?” Eric asked, walking more quickly toward his apartment—once again, he’d bought more than he meant to—and the bags were heavy.  
  
“Your father has never once made me jealous of crackers. Start from the beginning and tell me everything.”  
  


* * *

  
It had been a week and a half, and with the exception of a couple of days, when either the guy hadn’t turned up or Eric had gotten the timing wrong, he had seen the angelic, handsome creature every single day. Which is why he decided to take a friend that evening. After telling his mom all about him, Eric still hadn’t been completely satisfied—he needed someone else to see the guy, and witness how beautiful he was.  
  
True, he had known it was a mistake to let Dongwan be that someone, but it was short notice, and Dongwan was in his department at school. He would’ve preferred Dongwan’s boyfriend, Minwoo, who ran the restaurant where they both worked part-time—when they weren’t teaching classes—but Minwoo was busy, so Eric didn’t have a choice.  
  
That day, the guy seemed very interested in a display of apples. Eric watched him out of his peripheral vision, as he looked at the other produce. He had never noticed the grocery store guy’s hands before, but they were so lovely, touching the apples one by one and inspecting them for bruising, that Eric felt like he might burst into flames, looking at them.  
  
“Why are you so serious about produce today?” Dongwan asked, pouting. Eric hadn’t bothered telling him about the guy—he wanted to see if Dongwan noticed him, first. Dongwan, though, seemed more interested in standing in the way and whining than noticing the heavenly creature he was in the presence of. Eric was frustrated—didn’t everyone else see how perfect the man was?—but more than a little pleased. No one else should be looking at him, anyway.  
  


* * *

  
  
“Did you see that guy? The one in the produce section?” Dongwan asked, buckling his seatbelt. They were taking the produce purchases back to Minwoo’s restaurant, so Dongwan had driven them to the store that afternoon.  
  
Anyone else might have needed more of an explanation, but Eric knew exactly who he meant.  
  
“Yeah,” he said, trying not to sound too excited.  
  
“He was too cute, right? And kind of sexy. I wouldn’t mind bending him over those—”  
  
Dongwan was quickly silenced when Eric’s palm made contact with the back of his head.  
  
“Ya! Shut up, you pervert. Don’t you dare talk about him like that,” he said, continuing to smack Dongwan around the back of the head and on his arms.  
  
“Stop! Don’t tell me you didn’t think about it. I saw you looking at him,” Dongwan whined, not making an effort to get away, though.  
  
“I didn’t! You’re such a weirdo. I’m telling Minwoo about this,” Eric said, blushing.  
  
“Don’t you dare. You know how he’ll react. I was just trying to provoke you,” Dongwan pouted, pulling on Eric’s sleeve.  
  
“Well, leave him out of it, next time. Perverts like you shouldn’t even talk about guys like him,” Eric said, leaning back in his seat as Dongwan put the car into gear.  
  
“All right. All right,” Dongwan said. Then, in a softer tone, “but I know you thought about it.”  
  


* * *

A few days later, Eric talked to him for the first time. The angelic man had showed up at the store a little after Eric, and he had a friend in tow. At least, Eric hoped the guy was a friend. Or maybe a colleague. Or, better yet, a mere acquaintance. But they were looking at a display of roses, which made Eric both wary and jealous. As soon as he glanced at the two men, they disappeared quickly into the next aisle—jerks. Eric tried to take his time, and picked up a couple of things, before following them.  
  
They were having what looked like a heated discussion next to the cookies, and Eric had no choice but to walk past, trying to decide if he should stop in the middle of the aisle for a bit and wait for them to move forward, so he could walk behind them, or if that would make him a stalker. He didn’t have to think about it for long, though, when he heard a faint crash. The angelic guy and his friend (hopefully) had knocked over some of the cookies.  
  
Before he realized what he was doing, Eric was kneeling next to the guy he had been so interested in. Even though he didn’t trust his voice in the presence of someone so beautiful, it was coming out of his mouth—he was speaking, and he was brushing the other man’s fingers with his own—but he wasn’t in control of himself. It was like an out-of-body experience. By the time he left the store, his pulse was racing so fast he thought he might need to stop by the hospital and have himself examined.  
  
“Oh, no, it’s OK. I’ve got it,” the guy had said.  
  
Even his speaking voice was angelic. His hands had felt soft and wonderful in the brief second Eric had touched him. And he was even better looking up close. Eric thought that, even if his heart did burst from how excited and happy he was, that it would be worth it.  
  


* * *

  
Over the next couple of days, he had too much work to do—grading papers, planning lectures, picking up shifts at the restaurant, and, most importantly, working on a draft of his dissertation. So he didn’t have a chance to go grocery shopping. Rather than concentrate, though, he spent his evenings wondering idly what the beautiful guy was having for dinner, or whether he had noticed that Eric hadn’t been there lately. He was sure the guy had definitely recognized him from their many brief encounters, but it was probably too much to ask to think he would miss him. If anything, he was probably relieved not to see him for a couple of days.  
  
By the third day, though, he couldn’t stand it anymore. He went to the grocery store with purpose—planning on staying there all afternoon, if that’s what it took. And if the guy didn’t show up, well, he’d just have to go back the next day, too. Who needed a PhD, anyway?  
  
He barely made it through the door before he bumped into a tall, vaguely familiar man.  
  
“I’m so sorry!” the guy apologized, immediately. “That was all my fault. Are you OK?”  
  
“I’m fine,” Eric said, smiling. It wasn’t like the guy had bumped into him hard—there was no need to be so apologetic about it.  
  
“Are you sure? I’m really sorry,” the guy said, again. Eric nodded, taking in the man’s features, and trying to decide where he had seen him before. Before he could place him: “Oh! I know you,” he said. “The other day, you helped my friend and I pick up some boxes of cookies we dropped.”  
  
Before the sentence had even been finished, Eric had placed the guy. He was the love of his life’s friend (hopefully).  
  
“Oh, yes. I remember you,” Eric said, sort of wanting to treat the other man coldly for having the audacity to be seemingly close with the guy he liked so much, but not being able to because he seemed so genuinely friendly.  
  
“Do you? Small world, right? Do you live in this area?” the man asked, grinning.  
  
Eric nodded.  
  
“Yeah. Pretty close, actually.”  
  
“Oh really? That’s great. Do you like coffee?” the man asked, still just as brightly.  
  
Eric felt himself blushing. Not that he wasn’t flattered, but he definitely wasn’t interested in anything vaguely date-like with this guy. Not when his handsome friend was the one who gave him butterflies.  
  
“Oh, no. Please don’t be embarrassed! Do you remember my friend? The guy who you helped with the cookies?”  
  
“Ah, yes, I remember him,” Eric said, blush deepening.  
  
“Well, he’s amazing. He’s gorgeous, he’s smart, he’s driven, he’s talented—all of those things—but he doesn’t really know anyone in this part of town, and since he works here, I think he’s sort of lonely. And he loves coffee. So I was just thinking, if you had time, the two of you could hang out and you could show him a coffee shop and chat, or something. It would be great if he had someone to hang out with other than me, you know?” the man said. His expressive eyebrows made him look so cute and lively, that Eric found his anxiety disappearing immediately.  
  
The opportunity of a lifetime had fallen into his lap.  
  
“Yeah, of course. That sounds fun,” he said, trying to keep the excitement out of his voice.  
  
“Great! I’ll give you his number, then. His name is Shin Hyesung.”


End file.
